Licensing has its cyclical ups and downs in every category, and it has been on a definite upswing over the past few years in the home goods sector. Recently, three high-profile celebrities have added their names to the list, each with extensive home goods programs or plans, with a focus on the kitchen. None has […]
Playing for Keeps in the Sports Card Sector
Interest in trading cards featuring women’s sports leagues, teams, and athletes is on rise, and so are licensing deals in this space. This month, Upper Deck announced an agreement with University of Iowa basketball player Caitlin Clark, while Panini said it would be creating cards for the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), to name […]
The Skinny on Celebrities and Men’s Skincare
Last week it was announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was launching a skincare brand, adding his name to the fast-growing list of skincare lines tied to male actors, musicians, and other celebrities known for their accomplishments outside the beauty and wellness industry. The landscape is varied. Most of the celeb-connected lines, which range from […]
A Double Dose of Sweetness
Two new candy-based soft drinks debuted in the first week of March 2024: Ring Pop soda from Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda and Stardust Sparkling Ice drinks from Talking Rain. These are just the latest additions to a growing list of collaborations over the past five or so years that have brought some big names in […]
The Devil Is In The Detail
Location-based entertainment has been in the news lately, and not in a good way. Willy’s Chocolate Experience, a live event organized by House of Illuminati and held at Box Hub Warehouse in Glasgow, Scotland, has attracted a lot of attention for its poor execution. The ticketing website promoting the event is full of lush A.I.-generated […]
Hooked on Fast Fashion
Sustainability concerns have taken some of the luster from the fast fashion retail sector. The core business model, after all, is to encourage purchases of inexpensive clothes that are meant to be replaced quickly with trendy new pieces, creating an ongoing cycle of waste. Based on the number of deals being done with fast-fashion retailers, […]
The Peak Celebrity Era
Taylor Swift has had an outsized influence on pop culture and commerce in 2023 and 2024, putting her mark on music sales, NFL ratings, sales of official and unofficial merchandise, and more. While Swift is an anomaly in the breadth and depth of her current dominance, her situation nevertheless makes an interesting case study on […]
Revisions to the Collegiate Licensing Syllabus
The collegiate sports landscape has been undergoing some big changes of late, with potential ramifications for collegiate licensees and other companies partnering with universities and student-athletes on commercial ventures: A spike in popularity of women’s sports. Stars such as Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Angel Reese of LSU are driving interest in women’s NCAA basketball; […]
Licensing at Sea
Boats and yachts, especially of the luxury variety, comprise a business that does not often come to mind as a potential licensing category. But marine manufacturers are regularly involved in licensing partnerships and collaborations. A handful of initiatives that have occurred in recent months illustrate: Frauscher Shipyard paired with Porsche for the 850 Fantom Air, […]
Adding Artistic Flair to the Denim Category
Denim has been experiencing one of its cyclical upswings in popularity in the fashion world of late, and the category has been exhibiting both more creativity in design and increased collaboration activity than in the past. At the same time, artists are partnering for fashion collaborations of all kinds with ever-increasing frequency. So it makes […]